by Lucy Evanson
Melanie nodded as she pulled a pan of cornbread out of the oven and replaced it with another yet to bake. Polly was right. Once they’d returned to the ranch, Lee had followed David around all afternoon, helping with his chores. He’d insisted on sitting next to David at supper, and he’d made sure to say goodnight to him as well, even though he forgot to say it to Melanie. She couldn’t fault him for it, though. It might have taken a little prodding, but David was the one who had gone back for Lee. Any boy would have been similarly impressed. “I think you’re right,” Melanie said. “I’ll talk to him about it.”
Polly simply smiled and continued with the eggs.
~ ~ ~
They spread the blanket at the foot of one of the oaks that topped the hill. It was the highest point on the ranch, and they had a terrific view of the surrounding countryside. As Melanie had guessed, it had turned out to be a very warm day, but the heat was tempered by the breeze.
“You can see everything from up here!” Lee grabbed an acorn from the ground and hurled it toward town, so distant in the valley below.
David removed his hat, mopped his brow with his sleeve, and stared at the sky. There was nothing but hazy blue overhead, but he squinted as though he were suspicious. “Going to rain later,” he said.
“Well, I guess we should enjoy ourselves while we can, then,” Melanie said. She opened the basket and took out tin cups, then poured them each some lemonade. “Here.”
He took a long drink, draining the cup entirely. “So what have you got in that basket, anyway? It weighs a ton.”
“You’ll see in a minute,” she said. “Are you hungry?”
He grinned. “Of course. I worked up an appetite carrying that thing all the way up here.”
“Why don’t you go get Lee? I think I saw him going up that tree over there.”
While David set off after the boy, Melanie dug into the basket and began to unpack things. The lunch was a bit more extravagant than she was used to making these days—the ranch hands didn’t get their choice of meats, for instance—but she had been in a particularly good mood as she’d planned the meal. What with rescuing Lee from his father, albeit temporarily, and seeing a new side of David over the last few days, she felt like celebrating. And there’s no way better to do that than with a good meal shared among friends.
The basket was stuffed full to bursting. She had packed so many different things that she’d even forgotten about some of them. She had fried chicken and sausages. Pickles and fried potatoes. Freshly baked biscuits, with both peach preserves and strawberry jam. Baked apples and watermelon slices. All in all, the blanket was nearly entirely covered with food by the time the boys returned. They had come running, apparently racing each other, and Lee got there first.
“Look at all the food! Is that all for us?”
“Heck of a spread,” David agreed, nodding appreciatively as he settled down to the ground.
“It had to be,” Melanie said. “Do you know, I think Lee eats as much as you do?”
“We’ll see about that.” David reached for a plate and began loading it up with meat and potatoes, while Melanie did the same for Lee, then for herself.
Nature provided a concert while they ate, with the wind rustling the oak leaves overhead, birds calling from tree to tree, and the occasional moo from the herd downfield. For the first time in days—for the first time in months, in fact—Melanie felt truly at ease. There was no awkward teasing from David nor creepy surveillance from Randall, there was no worry about Polly and no work to do. There was simply the opportunity to relax for a bit and enjoy herself. It felt wonderful.
“How do you like the picnic, Lee?”
The boy nodded as took a bite of chicken. “It’s good. I seen people do this before,” he said, after swallowing. “But I never did it. Pa don’t like to eat outside.”
“Plus it’s hard to have a picnic when you don’t have any food,” David muttered.
“Hush,” Melanie said, softly elbowing him. She reached for a biscuit, slathered it with strawberry preserves, and placed it on Lee’s plate. “Here. You’re going to love it.”
The boy’s eyes grew wide just looking at it, but he looked positively ecstatic once he’d taken a bite. “That’s the best thing I ever ate,” he said after swallowing, then hurriedly stuffed the rest into his mouth.
“You’re pretty quiet,” she said, turning to David. “Don’t you like it?”
He shook his head. “Believe me, I’m only quiet because I’m too busy eating,” he said. “This is all delicious. And the company is much improved over the guys I normally have lunch with. Heck of a lot prettier, anyway.”
He winked at her, and although she tried to laugh it off, she felt her cheeks go pink. Beautiful weather and good food, and a sweet boy and handsome man to share it with. There’s not a thing that would improve this day, she thought. Except maybe being able to do this all the time. Like if we could all stay together somehow.
Lee must have been reading her mind. “I like this,” he said. “It’s nice here. It’s like we’re a family.”
Melanie felt the oddest sensation then. She didn’t know whether to smile or cry. Cry, because Lee’s idea of family was spending time with these two people he hardly knew, or smile, because she agreed. She smiled.
“I was just thinking that same thing,” she said.
David, however, was apparently not of the same mind. He was staring at his plate with a glare frozen on his face. He dropped his half-eaten drumstick onto his plate, wiped his hands on a napkin, and stood up. “I have to get back to work,” he muttered.
“Do you really need to go right now? We were having such a nice time.”
“I gotta get to town before John Gray closes up,” he said as he bent to retrieve his hat. “I need to pick up a few things.”
Lee jumped up. “Can I come with you?”
“No.” David spun on his heel and started down the hill, quickly.
“Please? I can help you drive,” Lee called. “Please?”
David whirled around to face them, his lips fixed in a snarl. “No, you can’t come. This is my work. Last thing I need is some kid tagging along.” Then he turned and stomped down the hill toward the house.
“David, wait,” she called, but he kept walking.
Lee fell, deflated, to the blanket. “Why’s he mad at me? I didn’t do nothing.”
Melanie reached for the boy and rubbed his back. She could feel his ribs through his shirt. “I know, you didn’t do anything,” she said. “And I don’t think he’s mad at you. He’s just upset about something else.” About what, I have no idea.
“I’m a good driver now.”
“I know you are. Listen, why don’t you finish eating, and then go see how many grasshoppers you can find? I bet you can’t catch five.”
“I can catch five easy,” he said. “You’ll see.” He attacked his other chicken leg and finished it in under a minute, barely leaving the bone, then set off into the field.
Melanie’s gaze drifted back and forth between the two men. Lee, so young, with his whole life yet to unfurl. If he understood what a rough hand he’d been dealt, it didn’t seem to show. He had no mother and no father worth mentioning, yet while he hunted grasshoppers he ran and laughed like any other boy his age.
Then there was David, who hadn’t looked back once on his way down the hill. Still young, and also alone in the world. He got upset as soon as Lee mentioned family, she thought. Perhaps that’s a sore spot with him.
It was, on the face of it, a surprising thought. David wasn’t just physically strong—though she loved watching the way he moved, with that lean, whiplike body—but he also exuded that invulnerable confidence that young men sometimes had. It was hard to imagine him having any weak points at all. But then again, even the toughest men were once little boys, and little boys need their parents too. Even the toughest men must have sore spots when those they love are torn away.
Polly said that his folks died only two ye
ars earlier. Maybe he feels that they were taken too soon, she thought. But is there ever a time when a child can let a parent go? Even now, almost five years after her father had to leave her, Melanie’s heart still felt like it had a bleeding edge.
Or maybe it’s not even his parents. Maybe he longs to have love in his life, but he hasn’t found the right woman. Just like Lord Wellstone. She watched as he hitched up the runabout and set off for the trail. He was going alone, just as she’d seen him do several times in her short time at the ranch. But that doesn’t mean he likes to. Maybe our picnic was too strong a reminder of what he doesn’t have.
Lee was right. It had felt like they were a family for a moment, but any family they formed would be short-lived. David had told Benz that Lee would only be staying for a few days, and Melanie would soon be on her way herself. Iowa City was calling, with her spinster aunt and, she guessed, several cats. She couldn’t stay here on the ranch forever, unless....
Unless David asked me to. Unless he put a ring on my finger and made me his wife. The thought gave her a shiver despite the warm day. It was almost too silly to consider any further. Her. With him. Married to the man who ridiculed her books and played pranks on her literally the first chance he got. Not very likely.
But then, whether he wanted to or not, he had shown another side to her. David had been doting on Polly ever since she’d taken ill, and he’d done the right thing twice with Lee: first, trying to return him home; and second, taking him back.
Maybe the man I met that first day really wasn’t him. Maybe the real David is the man I’ve come to know now. A man who sat vigil for an employee. A man who took a skinny, scruffy boy under his roof when he’d only met him the day before. And if he felt that deeply for people who weren’t even kin, well, she could only imagine how much he would care for his family when he got one. Now that she considered it, the qualities that were so rare in other men, David had in abundance. He was handsome and hard-working. Smart and strong. Brave and kind and a hundred other good things, all wrapped up in one lean, beautiful package, and to top things off he even liked to read.
Perhaps the two of them ending up together wasn’t very likely. But now that she thought about it, it sure did sound good.
~ ~ ~
They were lucky with the weather, as it turned out. By the time David returned, hours later, the sun had disappeared behind a gray quilt of clouds and a humid wind was washing over the hills. The bulk of the day’s work was already done, and Melanie was chatting with Polly at the kitchen table while Lee was having his second piece of pie for the day.
When they heard the runabout roll by, Melanie went to the window and saw David park the carriage near the barn. He unhitched the runabout and led the horse to the paddock all without a glance toward the house, as if he were still upset. As if he just wants to be alone, she thought.
“I’m going to talk to him,” Melanie announced.
Polly gave her the same odd, knowing smile that Melanie had been seeing a lot of lately. “You said he didn’t finish eating before?”
Melanie shook her head. “He left halfway through,” she said, then thought for a moment. “Maybe I’ll make him something.” She uncovered the bowl where she’d stored the biscuits and peeled one apart, then slathered both sides with butter and placed a slice of ham between. After quickly wrapping it in a napkin, she stepped outside and started up the hill.
David was well ahead of her by then. His strides were long and he went quickly, in spite of the coil of wire that he was carrying over one shoulder. Melanie only caught up with him—or rather, he noticed her and stopped to wait—by the oak trees, almost precisely where they had picnicked earlier.
“How was your trip to town?”
“Fine,” he mumbled. “No problems.” It was impossible for her to read his mood, as he seemed to be avoiding her gaze. He stood there like he was studying the earth, one boot casually kicking at the grass and his hat obscuring his face.
She stepped closer. “I brought you a little something to eat,” she said, holding out the biscuit. “You hardly had a chance to eat earlier.”
When he finally looked at her, she saw that he wasn’t angry. He was embarrassed. “Thank you, Melanie,” he said quietly as he took the sandwich. “I, uh...I’m sorry about earlier.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I shouldn’t have snapped like that. Lee didn’t do anything to deserve that. Neither did you.” His face turned pink as he let the coiled wire drop to the ground.
“It’s all right,” she said. He reminded her of a young boy at that moment, with his shamefaced expression and his little sandwich in his hand. She reached out to him, placing her hand against his cheek. His stubble was rough under her fingers and his skin was warm. He was startled by her touch at first, almost pulling away, but he then turned his face back toward her, like he sought her touch. She let her hand glide across his cheek, tracing his jaw before falling to her side. “There was no harm done,” she said.
His gaze fell to the ground again. “Still, it wasn’t right. You’re our guest.”
“Maybe not for much longer. I was thinking I’d be leaving in a few days,” she said. “Polly seems to be feeling better, so I guess I should go.”
He looked at her for a long while without speaking, though he frowned and she saw his eyes cloud with concern. Like he doesn’t want me to go. She felt her heart thumping in her chest as hope bloomed within her.
“It’s too bad,” she said. “I liked staying here.”
“Melanie, I had something I wanted to ask you,” he said. He took a second to swallow, like he wasn't sure whether to say what was in his heart or not.
She reached over and took his hand in hers. “Go ahead,” she murmured. Standing there with him, so close that she could count his whiskers and smell his cologne, her heart began to furiously pound within her chest. It wasn’t until that moment that she realized just how much she wanted to stay on the ranch. How much she wanted to stay with him.
“I was just wondering,” he said, his eyes searching hers. “What made you leave home?”
She blinked. “What?”
“Polly said you had some kind of problem back in Peshtigo,” he said. “I was just curious what happened.”
“Oh, I...sorry, I just wasn’t expecting you to ask that,” she said, hoping that she wasn’t blushing as brightly as she felt.
“You don’t have to tell me,” he said. “I was just thinking, maybe I could help.”
Melanie tried to smile, though it looked more like a grimace of pain. “That would be nice,” she said. “But some things can’t be helped.”
“What do you mean?”
She tried to take a deep breath, but it felt like her chest was locked up tight. She hadn’t told anybody, not even Polly, what exactly had happened back home. Maybe it’s time to talk about it. “None of it would have happened if my father hadn’t died,” she said. “But my mother remarried this spring, and this man...her husband—”
“You mean your stepfather?”
She shivered violently. It felt like an insect was crawling down her spine and she could feel each of its slimy legs on her skin. “His name is Randall,” she said. She had tried to put his name and his face out of her memory, to forget his beady eyes and little mustache, to forget his voice at her door in the night. Talking about him now, however, she realized that his stain on her life would never be erased so easily. “I can’t call him my stepfather. He’s just Randall.” Her throat had gone tight, almost strangling the words as they came out, and her eyes began to sting.
Now David took her hand. “Melanie, did he do something to you? Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “But almost.”
The clouds were hurrying toward them now, boiling up from the horizon and coating the sky in black-edged clouds. It wasn’t raining yet, but she could smell it on the wind.
David’s face showed the same expression it had yesterday, when h
e’d gone back for Lee. His jaw was set, his brow furrowed, and his eyes full of fire. “What did he do?” he asked, through gritted teeth.
Melanie felt her breath trip in her throat as she was about to speak, and she closed her eyes for a moment to regain her composure. When she looked at him again, she realized that his face mimicked the angry sky behind.
There was a storm coming.
Chapter 10
The afternoon had turned very dark, very quickly, and it was shaping up to be an ugly end to the day. A gust of hot wind tore a strand of hair loose and lashed it across her cheek. Melanie tucked it back into place and stared at the horizon. The clouds were tumbling across the sky, bulging and swollen with rain, and she could see lightning blooming within them from time to time. Thunder softly echoed across the prairie, like the roar of a faraway beast. Far, but getting closer.
“Randall used to watch me,” she said. “All the time. But not just looking at me...he used to watch me like, well...like a man who wants a woman. Do you know what I mean?”
Now David let his gaze drop to the ground. “Yeah, I know the kind of look you mean. Your mom didn’t do anything?”
“She didn’t want to know about it,” Melanie said. “She was just happy to have food in the pantry and a roof over our heads.”
David shook his head as he listened. “What’s wrong with all the parents lately?” he muttered.
“I don’t blame my mom,” Melanie said, then corrected herself. “Not entirely, anyway. We went through such a hard time after my dad died, you can’t imagine.” Her voice caught then as she remembered the cold nights in their old house. “She did everything she could for me. I think she’s just overwhelmed. And she never could have expected that Randall would do what he did.”
“What else did he do?”
Unconsciously, Melanie’s hand went to her throat and tightened her collar, as if she needed to shield herself from Randall’s eyes even here. “He came to my room. Alone. At night.”
